Buff Headwear Review

Buffs are an outdoor classic. A high-functioning classic- more vintage Land Rover than Bentley. I can remember stealing my dad's arrow-print Buff to keep warm on the hills when I was only 3 ft tall. Charmingly simple, multi-functional headwear; made of nothing but polyester microfibre fabric and a clever concept. Recently, kitshack.com very kindly sent me a piece of Buff headwear to review.

I already own three Buffs- a reflective one in neon; a fleece-lined one in bright pink/orange; and, as of last weekend, a Wee County Harriers number (really an excellent alternative to a tee shirt or medal). However, I am a vain creature visually-minded individual, so when they told me to take a look at the range I jumped straight to the Nuwara Women's Slimfit+, which had a gorgeous pattern and colour. I'm a big fan of teal so it will match a lot of my existing gear (I also loved the Duha). The slimfit is deliberately narrower, which is an asset to me as some of the originals slip off my chin when used as a mouth covering.

Neither of my other Buffs are true Buff headwear items and I could immediately tell the difference. This Buff was softer, more elastic, and vibrantly coloured. The main selling point for athletes is that Buffs really are insanely versatile. They are just a tube of polyester microfibre. But, they're just a tube that I personally have used for; running, skiing, hiking, sailing, biking, and climbing- mostly in the winter cold, but also once to cycle in 40-degree Turkish heat. Just a tube that can be used as a neck warmer, pulled up over the mouth and /or nose, as a head band (I frequently use them to keep my ears warm), as a bandana, as a balaclava, and as a wristband (see below video for all possible uses). These tubes are wind resistant. They dry very quickly. They wick sweat when its hot and keep you warm if its cold.

If you start an activity then find you don't need one, Buffs weigh less than nothing to keep on the arm or down a bra (35g, don't say you don't do this) or in a pocket. They pack very small and are light in a daypack. They are also comfortable and stylish for daily wear- I wear my new one with a leather jacket too.

The pleasure really is in the simplicity. Good design in a good material and it does all that.

--------------------------------Do you own a Buff? What other pieces of kit would you say are essentials?

+ The Buff was c/o kitshack; this post was not sponsored- the company requested only an honest review in return for a gifted Buff of my choice. As I stated, I already own Buffs so was already a fan. No links are affiliate.

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Comments:

I do own a buff! Fleece/warm ones are necessary for running through Minnesota winters, but I have a lighter one like yours too and its very versatile. I also have one for my dog Matilda- its a "cooling buff" where you're supposed to wet it on hot days to wear around her collar to keep her cool.

I didn't realise there were so many until I got to choose. I was actually really tempted by the anglers collection- the reflective, oil-sheen scale patterns were really cool to me. But I love this kind of pattern and colour so went with this. As you can see it matches the craghopper synthetic jacket really well!